Electrically-operated submarine torpedo.



No. 656,292. Patented Aug. 2|, I900.

4 P. C. FL HOFFMANN. ELEBTRICALLY OPERATED SUBMAMNE TOBPEBD.

, (Application filed Apr. 30, 1898.) (No Model.)

IIIIIIIIIII "EETER; ona s'r nn FRIEDRICH I'IOl F MANN, 'os K -IEL,chair-A Y.-

s-L soTRicALLY-oPsRATso {s centers is Tuscan.

srncrrrcagrion forming part of Letters see no. 656,292,

dated August '21, 190d:

' Application filedA ril smssagsesu so.-6.7e,sz1. uiomoat1.i

all whom-it zeta cancer-21;.- I a h c it knownthat I, PETER CHRISTIAN ofPrussia, German'Emperor, residing at Kiel,

i Kingdom' of Prussia, in the German Empire,

have invented anew and useful lmprove- 'ment in-ElectricallyOperated"Submarine Torpedoes, of which the following is a specifica-.mn, v This im b'ntion has relation to'subrnarine mines for theprotection of rivers, harbors, bays, and thelike against the entrance ofhostile vessels in case of war, and" my saidinven: tion relates moreparticularly to that-type of floating torpedees,-- the objects ofmy--in- I ventionbeing; the following: "First, the'com- 'bination, witha torpedo, of electrical appli the mine or torpedo should an attempt .bemade to drag the same from its anchorage, and, fifth, a construction oftorpedo, such as to in sure 'the' transmission of the contact-signal,whatever may be the direction oftravel of a hostile craft across thetorpedo; but that my 7 invention may be full y understood I will nowdescribe the same in detail, reference being had to theaccompanyingdrawingsfin which- Figure 1 is a vertical-sectionalview of a submarinefloating torpedo embodying a part of my invention, Fig. 2 isadiagrammatic view of the electric circuits. Fig, 3 is a l'ongitudinalvertical section of the submarine pogver and anchoringwhsmbers, and Fig.4

is a vertical cross-section taken on line a: :tof-

Fig. 3 lookingin the direction of arrow 1 The torpedo consists of asuitable casing B, ich is prefersblyegear-shaped, or substantislly so,and divid mmiion HOFFMANN, a subject of the King- :in the Province. ofSchleswig-Holstein and.

mine or more properly torpedo known as of means whereby the operator atthe distan t, station will be apprised of a'displacement-of into upper,lower,

tuting the charge chamber andycontaini-ng the explosive, the weights biugi so' distrib-- intermediate compartments by'tw'o partitions b 12 theintermediate-compartment D coustiuted as to cause the torpedo ofloathead up- =ward.- A tube 't, arranged'axially of chamher D, servesas a passage forae'able G, made up of two Wires g and g :Withihthe'ch'argechamber 'D is located; an electric sparkdgniterf, ofwe1l-known construction, whose teri the cable G arecarried out of. thetorpedo at aperture, so as to preclude the entrance of water into thelower, compartment. In the upper Y I ,minals are connected with twoconductors 1 f f", made into a cable F, which latter and end o-f-thetubet is seated at conuecting-disk g, and the semispherical head of thetorpedo is studded witha number of-coutacts I), working in openings insaid head and covered wa- I ter-tight externally by flexible 'di'aphragns a. Within the headof the torpedo are arranged contacts b one for andopposite the inner end of each of the aforesaid contacts I),- said Icontacts bbeing supported frorn cups a con- 'ductors c c being connectedwith the aforesaid contacts b' bf, respectively,-andwith'theconnecting-disk g.- A cup e ofaconductive material is supportedaxially within-the upper chamber by rods e, secured to the'head of theshell B, and within said cup and c'oncentric therewith is arranged ashallow cupped or dished contact e for a conductive gravity-contact, asa ball 01 of a suitable con-.

ductive metal. To the contacts a and-e and to the connecting-disk g aresecured conduc- I tors c n, and the arrangement of the connecting-diskis such as to connect. all the conductors c and the conductor 0 with theconductor 9' of cable G and all the conductors o and the conductor 0"with the'-conduc-- tor g of said cable, G. j

Wherever a torpedo such as described is located I provide means toranchoring and for positioning the same, the anchorage A consisting of awater-tight power-chambers" and an anchoring-"chamber & both embedded inthe bed of the waterway. Theranchering-ehamber has a trunk 0 extendingverti- KOO eally therefrom sufliciently above the bed-of the waterway toprevent send, mud, or stones from-being washed into said chamber, in' io s 'itsvlower or smallerend through a suitable r. a

is wound the anchor chain or cable h, attached to the lower end of thetorpedo.- The shaft ing-chamber w ishamb im wheel m {and shaft 16,'gainst rotation; inone of the drum carries agear-wheelc', meshing. witha pinion n on-the shaft 7o"oi an electric motor k, of anydesired orwelt-known confrom the power chamber "41' into; the jtnchorhrou ghausuitable stuflingbox. Theshaft Harries gjtz'f, piv -awn:

sion projecting-',infront..oi and; cons u n V theiarmature of; 5 31=.electroina'gne't it within" awllucliing'tlie i-:atchet-'whichwouldcause'theanchor chain orcablelt to windgofiithe' drum'l; Tothe the conductbts and v f.united.iiito a cable B53116 l QfihQ poles:the electric motor k i." 'e;,";i ts'-' electrma'g'netare connected thewires q! and q, nnited into a cable Q, both of l-wwhichcablesBandQareledoutot thef'powerchamber 11' in such a manner. as to keep out waterandjsolid matter. 4 The, cables 117,9 B,Iand Q constitute the I mainlines of Lgi'QtorPedb-s'tatidn, which may 'be a,shore erafloatingstation' and which is equ pped with two electric generatorsorsourcesgof supply of electricity, one of which is preferablyzarbattery;(3v and the other a dy- 1.31110 E. The conductors q and q zof cables Qforthfe'" electric motor k are connected with the opposite poles oftheaforesaid dynamo E.

' The conductors f foflcable F for the igl niter f are-respectivelyconnected with the with the opposite poles of battery G, a. circuit-;

maker rbeing included injtlieir circuit, and,

= finally, the conductors g'and g of cable G are respectively con sectsit with the opposite-poles of said battery 0, an alar 'n-bellg or othersuitable alarm or indicator being included in their circnit,'a llofwhich is clearly shown injFig. 2.

If the operator at the torpedo-station desires to cause the torpedo-toriseito-a higher level.

or to the surface of the water, he closes the circuit at if,therebyenergiz-ing the electro-. magnet is, which attracts itsarmature-pawl m, 'and -the' la'ttermoving out of engagement .with -.the.ratohet-wheel m releases the powershattltflthetorpedobeing-then free torise tofany desired height above'the-hed ot the waterway.Shouldthe-operator, on the con- .j-,rary-;.= desire .to-lowertheytorpedo, he sends enrrent-irom dynain'oE to the-electric mo-.

' "tor, causing -the shaft k, andncon'sequently' thewindipg-glrnmLgearedtheretmto revolve, so asitew ndv np the anchor -chain or cable h,and thereby draw the torpedo "down, said -'shat I'd-being freeto revolvein the direction of wi-ndin g, but locked by the pawl mf against motork, asthe case may. be,

7 I I ;magnetizes struction, said shaft RC-passing vfluid-tight operatormotion in an opposite direction. --When tlie torpedo is in the desiredposition,.the circuits, inclndin g the are interrupted.

of, the ele'ctromagnetcircuit dothe latter,causing. the armaturepawl mto drop back-into enga ement with ratchet-wheel m and lock sbaft' 'and.drum 1 against rotation, this being, oj course, also The closure thecase when theidynamo-circ'uit is interelectromagnet k or the electricrupted. :Should ahostileicraft depress any one or more of the contactsb, the circuit through the; conductors g gjwill belclosed,

the alarm g? will be' set'in operation, and'the v then closes thefiringrcircnit at f ug duc f. It sbyii iodu ns a spark at 1", whichgrapple the torpedo, either-"by-its anchor chain or cable 7L or such anangle to t e vertical'asto cause the gravity-contact d tc roll partlyoutof its shallow'cn'p cf into contact with the inclosing contact-, andthereby close the circuit J ignites'the h mber D. ,Should an attempt bem8- I;

by one of thenabl F xGr fonthe purpose of breaking sgidwconnevt 'tions,said torpedojwill assume a-positi prising the operator at thetorpedo-station that the torpedo is being tampered witm and" "he canthen explode the same,

Y The appliances for controlling submarine floating torpedoes described'are' very simple and provide practically evergpossible means forinsuring the object aimedat this particular mode of warfare;

-Obviously a torpedojmay, with" the applh ances described, be heldIontof'rcachot a ves-- I sel, and

as the latterapproaches the anchorage the torpedofm'ay be released andhllowed to; rise'into contact withsuch ves'seland then exploded.

Havingthus described'my inyen-tiomwhat' Q lclaim as new therein, anddesire' tosec'ure by Letters Patent,- is- -n.

\ 1. The combinationwithatorpedm electric metallic contacts studdingits. surface,-. a.

chamber containing the explosive charge of signal-circuits closed by thecontacts on the surface of the torpedqanigniter in thegaham- 511-3 hercontaining the charge and its electric 'ci'r cuit, an electric-motorcircuifiand 'a driven I mechanism, a magneti'cally-ro'pe"rated detentfor said mechanism, the signal, firiifg and 'de-" tentoperated circuits"in parallel findependent of the motor-circuit; s 2. In a torp'edo, a

explosive 'chargehndf'an electric igniter' she'll d'ividedinto' vchambers, the central chambe onta ni 1 t is ranged to projectfroin saidshellandbe-inoifed toward theinterior t ereon-1a second .fit'of contactswithin the she'llia pair of tequila insulated from one another. withinthl'; Ben, a gravity-contact on-o'ne of-saidtermi'ii far-v ranged toclosecircuit betweenth'eiinsaitliw contacts and terminals'conuected in'mihl and-adafmed to close circuit through a pair 5. In a torpedo, ashell dividedjnto three of wires to a distant signal, substantially assuperposed chambers, the central chamber set forth, I e containing theexplosive charge, analectricv z 5 3'. The combination withafloatingtorpedo, ignitertherein and a conductive cable con 5 ofconcentric contacts e e arrangedv axially nected with sai'd'igniter,asecond cable passthereln near its head, a gravity or ball coning throughthe charge-chamber, a set of contact d in the inner shallower contacte', and tacts projecting beyond the surface of thetonan electric circuitincluding the said contacts; pedo and a second set of contacts withinthe 30 of an alarm-bell at a station distant from the upper chamber ofthe torpedo, each of the 10 anchorage of the torpedo, included in thecirfirst set of contacts arranged tobe moved into cuit's' f theaforementioned contacts, for the the shell and contact with one of thesecond rpose'set'forth set of contacts, a pair of concentric cups inL'The combination witha floating tornado, sulated from one another, aball in the inner 35 e of concentric contacts e e arranged axially "cupadapted to close circuit between'them l5 therein near its head, agravity or'ball 0011- when displaced, the contacts arranged in par;-

tact d in the inner shallower contact a andallel to and closingcircnitthrough the sec.-'

an electric. circuit including said contacts; of. 0nd cable,substantially as set forth.

ah alarm-bell ata station distant from the H, l. H ,Y

anchorage of the torpedo included in the cir- Ham (3131155 IRIEDRIOHHOFFMANN' I I9 cuit of the aforementioned contacts-and an i fwitnessesrelectricalifiring cxrcuitcontrollable from said ALEXANDER SPECHT, Hstation, for thepurposeset forth.- 1 REINHARD OsTEnMnYER.

